Fare dodgers and fraudsters pay £4m to Greater Anglia in 2021
Greater Anglia, which operates trains in Norfolk and Suffolk, recovered more than £4million from fare dodgers and fraudsters in 2021 - Credit: Sarah Lucy Brown
Fare dodgers and fraudsters paid more than £4million in fines and repayments to Greater Anglia last year.
Ticket inspectors from the rail company, which operates services throughout Norfolk and Suffolk, handed out more than 54,000 penalty fares last year, adding up to the value of £1.63m.
This was in addition to the £1.78m it recovered from the 5,980 cases brought before magistrates for fare dodgers on Greater Anglia's trains.
Greater Anglia’s fraud department also uncovered £451,184 in fraudulent delay repay claims, as well as a further £287,331 in settlements from passengers who were reported for fare evasion.
Another £8,000 was recovered from passengers claiming refunds with a third party retailer for journeys they never made.
Norwich railway station, one of Greater Anglia's hubs - Credit: Archant
Kim Bucknell, Greater Anglia’s head of revenue protection, said: "People not paying for their journeys or fraudulently claiming delay repay compensation or refunds for journeys they haven’t made are effectively stealing from Greater Anglia.
"It’s not acceptable - it’s the equivalent of going into your local supermarket and either not paying for your shopping or only paying for some of it.
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"The railway is now funded by the government — and ultimately the taxpayer — so not paying for a ticket or making a false delay repay claim is effectively stealing from other taxpayers
"Not paying fares and making fraudulent claims means there is less money available to keep the railway running and improving for everyone – which could result in fares going up higher or other implications."
